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Eva Bartlett

Although Western media has a shoddy track record of lying on Syria (and Libya, Iraq...), the US State Department will pump $35 million more into future war propaganda on Syria, under the guise of promoting honest reporting.

A US State Department grant, Support for Independent Media in Syria, is unabashed in stating one of its main goals is to advance U.S. Government policy objectives in Syria.

That is probably the sole honest clause in the grant description: that it is in the end about US self-serving, hegemonic objectives in Syria.

The description goes on to claim these goals include the defeat of ISISalthough the illegal US-led coalition has attacked Syrian army positions on numerous occasions, ensuring the advance (not defeat) of ISIS in those areas. One of the most glaring instances being the September 2016 repeated attacks on the Syrian army in Deir ez-Zor province, which saw ISIS take over the region.

The US assassination of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani, recognized in the region as the man responsible for the near-defeat of ISIS, is another notable example of the US goals being to prolong, not defeat, ISIS in the region.

With their grant, the US plans to advance human rights and promote tolerance and dialogue between ethnic and religious communities, which is again morbidly laughable given that the US has been supporting wahhabi and other extremists whose human rights track records include caging, torturing, raping, and starving civilians, and public executions.

It wouldn't be American policy if the State Department grant didn't include mention of countering Russian disinformation and ending the presence of Iranian forces and proxies in Syria.

However, removing Iranian forces isn't within America's right to do; Syria invited Iran, Russia and other allies to actually fight terrorism in Syria, as opposed to the US-led occupation forces. And as discussed, it isn't Russia that has the track record of disinfo on Syria, that honor goes to America and allies.

Western outlets in chorus promoted the accusations of Syria/Russia preventing food and aid into eastern Aleppo (even Reuters reportedrebels had stockpiled aid) and Madaya and eastern Ghouta (none was true). Western media sold the story of Russia/Syria bombing the home of Omran Daqneesh (didn'thappen), of the al-Quds hospital being reduced to rubble by Russian/Syrian bombing (didn't happen), and a litany of other grotesque war propaganda stories.

Suddenly were meant to find credible journalists who embed with al-Qaeda and whitewash their crimes, and media which have on many occasions used photos not even in Syria to accompany sensationalist war propaganda stories.

CNN and western media got it wrong about Omran Daqneesh, but I havent even seen any retractions for this lie.

And yet the US wants people to believe that the independent voices and Russian and Syrian media who actually reported factually and honestly on these and other issues...are not credible.

The US wants people to live in a fake news bubble, where the narratives are controlled by the war mongers. And, strangely, America seemingly wants Syrians to be subjected to media that reports opposite of the reality they are living. As if after nine years of enduring Western (and Gulf) medias lies Syrians will suddenly believe them and decide to overthrow the president they elected (and support)? America is grasping at straws...

Western nations accuse Russia of disinformation around whether Syria used a chemical weapon in Douma, eastern Ghouta.

In April 2018, Western media pounced on and promoted the White Helmets' lies, shedding crocodile tears over civilians allegedly exposed to a chemical agent, at the same time ignoring or mocking the testimonies of 17 Syrians from Douma (including the boy starring in the White Helmets' hoax video).

Turns out the body tasked to examine this accusation omitted from its final report key findings that poke massive holes in the (Wests) official narrative around Douma. Not one, but many revelations have been leaked about the critical omissions of the OPCW report.

The only ones taking this seriously are mainly Russia, Syria and independent researchers. In the face of these recent revelations, most Western media have largely thus far been silent.

Similarly, Western media didn't cover the December 2018 panel detailing damning findings on the White Helmets' association (and membership) with terrorist groups in Syria, and their involvement in staging chemical attacks and in organ harvesting...

In the State Department's quest for truthful reporting, one of the issues to be protected seemingly at all costs is of course the White Helmets (and the chemical hoaxes they help stage).

Anyone who has seriously researched the White Helmets, much less bothered to interview Syrian civilians about the fake rescue group, knows their footage and claims are as credible as the words of nurse Nayirah, Colin Powell, or the entries of Wikipedia.

Journalists who bothered to interview medical staff in Douma following the chemical hoax were told that doctors were treating patients with normal wartime injuries when strangers (including White Helmets members) entered yelling about a chemical attack, creating a panic (and demonstrating a lack of medical skills), and filming the scene with then 11 year old Hassan Diab.

Diab was one of the Syrians dismissed by western media when he testified to the OPCW that he had not been subject to a chemical attack but had been used by the White Helmets. For Western media, only some children are credible (exploited)...when it suits their narrative.

One such youth, Muhammad, gained notoriety when eastern Ghouta was being liberated. Like the Aleppo child Bana before him, the Ghouta teen had an account in his name on Twitter (the dodgy logistics of which I raised in my last article) and was busy parroting the accusations.

Incidentally, Ghouta (to the silence of media which claimed concern in 2018) is rebuilding, in peace.

In any case, I get the feeling people are tired of lying Western media, chemical hoaxes and the antics of the White Helmets. I certainly see propaganda apologists getting called out on Twitter more than prior, and people are extremely skeptical of chemical weapons accusations.

As Vassily Nebenzia said of the OPCW official report on Douma: Humpty-Dumpty, as we know, sat on a wall, had a great fall and all the kings horses, all the kings men, couldnt put Humpty together again. I mean, that is exactly what happened to FFM report. Exactly.

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The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.

See the article here:
US to grant $35 million to promote its fake news bubble in Syria & control local media - RT

MEGHAN and Harry will control their image with a ruthless PR machine after quitting life as senior royals and striking out on their own.

Drawing on Meghan's experience in the entertainment industry, the Sussexes have already built up an extensive group of savvy PR experts to help with their media relations.

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Last year, Meghan and Harry hired US public relations company Sunshine Sachs whose clients include Jennifer Lopez and Leonardo DiCaprio.

The ruthless PR company, founded by Ken Sunshine, has represented Harvey Weinstein and has uses clever tactics to gloss up its clients' online presence.

The firm worked with Meghan after her controversial editorship of British Vogue last year and she is reportedly relying on them even more following the Sussexes' announcement to step down from royal life.

Former senior advisor to Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential campaign, Sara Latham, has been hired as the couple's head of communications.

Along with an impressive PR resume in the US, Latham has been helping politicians with their media presence since the 1990s.

Jessica Mulroney - Meghan's best friend living in Toronto - is also a figure the Sussexes can rely on.

The Canadian stylist and wedding planner - who is married to Ben Mulroney, son of former Canadian prime minister Brian Mulroney - is also an effective self-publicist.

Legal papers have claimed that Ms Mulroney was enlisted by Meghan to influence the media's portrayal of her and put pressure on a former business adviser of Meghan's to change statements she's given to the Mail on Sunday.

Meghan has also set about carefully controlling her image while setting up home in Vancouver this week when she visited two women's charities.

The Duchess of Sussex vetted pictures and a tweet posted by charity Justice For Women revealing that she made a surprise visit while starting her new life in Canada.

Zoe Craig-Sparrow, a co-director of Justice For Girls, revealed that photographs of Ms Markle at the charity were taken by one of her team and that they had to get the go-ahead from the royal before they were published.

Kate Gibson, director of the Downtown Eastside Womens Centre, also revealed that she had received a mysterious email from the Duchess assistant, asking to drop in and visit the refuge on 15 January to boost the staffs morale on a surprise visit.

Unusually, neither of the visits were announced on their joint Sussex Royal Instagram account.

After leaving her husband, the Duke of Sussex, in the UK to finalise the complex negotiations over their breakaway from the Royal family, many have seen this as the beginning of the Duchess new relationship with the media.

In the announcement laying out theformalities of Megxit, it was confirmed that the couple wants to live a "happy and peaceful" new life out of the royal limelight.

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The Sussexes outlined their plan to amend their media relations policy on their official website - aiming to "engage with grassroots media organisations and young, up-and-coming journalists."

After launching their Sussex Royal Instagram page last April, the couple aimed to take their media presence into their own hands by directly providing information straight to their followers.

They have cast aside traditional royal reporters.

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Meghan and Harry will control their image with ruthless Hollywood PR machine after Megxit - The Sun

CBS blinked first.

After less than three hours of live coverage on Tuesday, the network of Walter Cronkite cut away from the Senate impeachment trial of President Trump, yielding to daytime fare like Dr. Phil and Judge Judy.

NBC held out longer, but by 5 p.m., ABC was the last traditional broadcast network still in breaking-news mode. Die-hards could turn to cable news for their fix.

In television terms, the opening hours of Mr. Trumps trial only the third in American history, and the second of the mass-media era did not exactly make for visually compelling viewing. For Republican Senate leadership, that was by design.

Senate officials rejected repeated requests to allow outside cameras into the chamber to record the trial meaning that what viewers see and hear will be dictated by cameras and microphones controlled by Senate staff members, rather than an independent news organization. (Even C-SPAN was not allowed access.)

The result: Audiences were introduced on Tuesday to the constricted, lo-fi view of the Senate floor that will be ubiquitous on the nations TV screens in the coming days.

Election nights have their interactive maps and whiz-bang graphics. State of the Union coverage features high-definition reaction shots of senior government officials, generating the occasional iconic moment think Justice Samuel Alito mouthing Not true when President Barack Obama criticized a Supreme Court opinion on campaign finance.

But the trial of a sitting president? On Tuesday, the small-screen vista was limited to artless shots of House impeachment managers and Mr. Trumps lawyers at their lecterns, with an occasional overhead glimpse of the chamber thrown in.

Squint, and you may have been able to make out an individual senator or two.

The anchor Chris Wallace, commenting as part of Fox Newss analyst team, pointed out what viewers were missing.

Because these are the government set of controlled cameras, we are only able to see the podium and who is speaking, Mr. Wallace said on Tuesday. We are not able to see what is the emotion, what is the state of consciousness of the members of the Senate as all this goes on at considerable length.

MSNBC, whose prime-time opinion shows are a gathering space for liberals, acknowledged the restricted views with some subtle trolling. Attentive viewers might have noticed a graphic in the upper-left corner of the MSNBC screen, noting that the trial footage was provided by Capitol Hill Senate TV: the government, not a news outlet.

CBS gave national affiliates the option of picking up a feed of the trial from CBSN, its streaming-only news channel, after 3 p.m. Its Washington-based evening newscast opened with an extended segment on the trial, with the anchor Norah ODonnell interviewing four of the House impeachment managers.

Journalists for print organizations faced their own hurdles on Tuesday.

As promised by Republican Senate leadership, reporters were herded into roped-off areas in the Capitol hallways as senators entered and left the chamber, a significant change from the free access that journalists there usually enjoy.

When Manu Raju, a CNN reporter, tried to interview two Republican senators Susan Collins of Maine and Cory Gardner of Colorado about the trials rules, the lawmakers ignored him and walked on. On an ordinary day, Mr. Raju would have followed them. On Tuesday, he was stuck in a press pen behind gold stanchions and maroon velvet ropes.

Reporters also had to submit to an extra layer of security screening to get to a balcony that overlooks the Senate floor, a requirement added expressly for the presidents trial.

Having a police officer standing between reporters and the Senate chamber weve had unfettered access to for more than 200 years is extremely frustrating, Sarah Wire, a Los Angeles Times reporter, said on Tuesday, echoing frustrations voiced throughout the Capitol press corps.

Photographers movements in the Capitol were restricted, too, resulting in limited opportunities to capture images of lawmakers on a momentous day.

We have to shoot everyone from a distance; we have very little intimacy, said Melina Mara, a photographer for The Washington Post and the author of a book about women in the Senate. What photojournalists bring is that we show the human beings behind the podiums, and right now we cant get close to any of the members.

Senate officials cited security concerns as the reason for the added restrictions, noting the presence of Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. as the trials presiding judge. Michael Steele, a former Republican Party chairman and an MSNBC analyst, offered his own hypothesis.

They dont want the public to see this, Mr. Steele said of the Republicans who control the Senate. They dont want us to assess for ourselves.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg contributed reporting.

Continued here:
Trump Trial Day 1: Roped-Off Reporters and TV Cameras Run by the Senate - The New York Times

There was some thought that the 10-6A girls basketball race would be more wide open this season.

The standings say otherwise, thus far, as the teams hit the halfway point chasing a familiar team as Sachse is once again leading the pack.

The Mustangs have dismissed all challengers thus far, but that does not mean the second half of the slate will lack for drama.

The race for the playoff spots are still up for grabs and there are contenders lurking that can still make a run.

And if Sachse should falter for the first time in several years, that will just add to the mix.

Here is a look at the district race:

Sachse (20-6, 7-0)

Sachse has had a couple of close calls against its Garland ISd rivals.

The Mustangs narrowly defeated Lakeview, 46-43 in the finals of the Curtis Culwell Invitational in early December, though it was a non-district game.

For any that thought that was a sign of vulnerability, Sachse showed that was not the case with a thorough 36-19 victory last Saturday.

Rowlett pushed them on Friday, but the Mustangs once again found a way with a 46-42 victory to extend its district winning streak to 62 in a row.

The reasons for doubt were the departure of two-time district most valuable player Avery Crouse, as well as first-teamer Kayla Demus.

The Mustangs were then dealt a big blow when point guard Jayla Brooks, a SMU-signee who was the 10-6A offensive player of the year last season, suffered a season-ending injury.

But Sachses winning streak is a testament to its depth and that has once again been the case.

TCU-signee Adhel Tac is a contender for district most valuable player. Tac is a dominant force inside and can also play out at the perimeter and distribute to teammates.

Fellow senior Tia Harvey is a dynamic scorer who is also a go-to player with veteran experience.

Elizabeth Woods, a 6-1 junior, Sierra Douglas, a 6-2 junior, and Anderson Forthman, a 6-1 senior, give them depth in the post alongside Tac.

Junior Brianna Salazar and freshman Journee Chambers have helped fill the void left by Brooks in handling the ball, juniors Shanyais Rose and Morgan Mundy have also contributed in the back court and freshman Crislyn Rose could be the next star for the Mustangs.

Key Game: at Lakeview (Feb. 4)

Rowlett (10-16, 4-3)

The Eagles have put themselves in position to make the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season and despite the loss to Sachse on Friday, they showed they can compete with every team in the district.

Rowlett had to replace its emotional leader in Ngozi Obineke, who was the co-most valuable player a season ago, but has relied on a solid nucleus.

That includes a first-team honoree in sophomore Nevaeh Zavala, who made an immediate impact last season, and has stepped up her game, averaging 15.2 points and 5.9 rebounds per game.

Zavala is one of three Eagles averaging double figures in scoring. Senior Reagan Warren is averaging 11.9 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, while senior Madilyn Rodriguez is at 11.5 points and a team-high 6.8 boards per contest.

All three players are also averaging better than one steal per game, led by Rodriguez at 2.2 per night.

Rowlett has also featured solid depth with senior Mya Devance senior Ryllie Booker, senior Hannah Rumore, junior Taiyana Pitts and sophomore Kendall Miles.

Key Game: at Wylie (Jan. 31)

Lakeview (18-4, 6-1)

The Patriots showed they can compete with Sachse on a given night in the Culwell finals, though the second meeting was not that time.

Still, Lakeview has compiled an impressive body of work otherwise, putting them in sole possession of second place.

Sophomore Carleece Gates (9.5 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.8 apg) was voted as the 10-6A newcomer of the year as a freshman a year ago, where she was joined on the first team by junior Taliyah Harris (8.5 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.3 apg).

Lakeview also presents a difficult match-up problem for most teams with athletics bigs in 6-3 junior Jaliya Sharp, 6-1 junior Sanaa Baker and 6-0 junior Aja Scott.

Key Game: vs. Sachse (Feb. 4)

Wylie (15-12, 5-2)

The Pirates have flown under the radar somewhat, but are right in the thick of the playoff race.

With players such as all-district performers Peyton Rush and Alyssa Sullivan, Wylie could make a second half charge.

Junior Sianne Hill, junior Bailey Harris, senior Macy Sisco and sophomore Lynn Nwachukwu have also provided some scoring punch.

Key Game: at Sachse (Tues.)

Garland (11-12, 3-4)

The Owls boosted their playoff hopes recently with key wins over Naaman Forest and North Garland.

Garland features one of the better 1-2 interior punches in the district with 6-4 junior Xyllize Harrison and 5-10 senior Cynthia Onyekwe and senior Ruth Ajayi is solid on the outside.

Key Game: at Wylie (Jan. 24)

Naaman Forest (9-13, 2-5)

The Rangers have one of the shortest benches in the district and that might be a factor in their playoff chances, especially coming off a tough loss to Garland on Tuesday that dropped them two games off the pace.

Still, Naaman Forest does have some firepower with senior Gabby Robinson, senior Shamrin Shaw and senior Jmya Jones.

Key Game: at Rowlett (Tues.)

North Garland (6-15, 1-6)

The Raiders have some solid scorers with senior Tyvionna Williams, senior Asia Johnson and senior Morgan Ross, but it has not translated to success in district, where they have been held to 33 points or less in every game.

Key Game: vs. Garland (Fri.)

South Garland (3-19, 0-7)

The Colonels have endured their share of struggles this year and it has not helped they have been without the services of their best player, senior Vanessa Wharton, for much of the season.

Though likely not a playoff contender, South Garland is still hoping to have an impact on the playoff race with senior Kandace Sutton, senior Jocelyn Bell, junior Jackie Roberts and others.

Key Game: at North Garland (Feb. 4)

Continue reading here:
Sachse in control, Rowlett in the hunt heading into second half - Star Local Media

Royal Power Solutions (RPS) vice-president of supply chain Kevin Reed (pictured) believes medium-sized suppliers should find a reason for entry and control what they can when deciding to expand into Mexico.

RPS, based in Illinois, US, celebrated the opening of its automotive parts manufacturing factory in Quertaro, Mexico last month, where it assembles automotive battery terminal systems, moulded plastic covers and studded eyelets for tier one and two manufacturers, including those producing electric vehicles.

As one of Mexicos fastest-growing cities, Quertaro has the second highest GDP per capita and is home to 300 automotive industry companies. The city is in the Bajo region in central Mexico where OEMs BMW, Honda, Audi, Volkswagen, GM and Nissan have invested.

According to Reed, among the main logistics challenges investing in Mexico are the countrys locally produced raw material supply and logistics infrastructure.

The single largest materials input for producing eyelets and terminals flat roll copper and aluminium are not available directly from mills within Mexico today, he explained, adding that copper was also used in battery-powered hybrid fully electric vehicles.

Supply and demandLast year, RPS supply chain efforts were largely focused on qualifying local suppliers for outside processes and market testing various logistics providers. Supplier partnerships should be considered and there is no shame in sub-contracting when necessary, states Reed. The key is to control what you can.

Milk run optimisation (cost-optimal routes for inbound and outbound shipments) is one of the strategies Reed suggests deploying when operating in the country. Regarding challenges, he cites tax and regulation, particularly in focus in light of the news from the US senate last week.

The US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA)has now been approved by the US Senate, which has joined Mexico in ratifying the new North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta). Canada still needs to put pen to paper, however the news does seem to move towards resolution and further lifts uncertainty for North American supply chains.

As the bill becomes law however, it will raise questions for manufacturers and logistics providers around compliance, including how to meet new rules of origin requirements, and rises in production cost, and border trade.

According to the National Auto Parts Industry (INA), Mexico is the fifth-largest automotive parts producer in the world and the largest In Latin America. Looking ahead, INA has forecast that production of Mexican automotive parts will continue to grow, with an expected US$96 billion value by 2021 - another indication of the crucial role the country plays in US automotive trade.

The impact of the USMCA on automotive trade between the North American trading partners will be under discussion at the forthcoming Automotive Logistics Mexico conference to be held in Mexico City between February 25-27

Kevin Reed will be a speaker at the conference, where he will further discuss the challenges and opportunities of operating in Mexico

Read this article:
Control what you can in Mexico, says RPS - Automotive Logistics